Team effort for JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon 'going to be a good time'

Editor's note: This is the final story in a six-part series about some of the people who will compete in the JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon Saturday in Washington County.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- While directing traffic along the route of today's JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon, members of the Washington County Sheriff's Department are likely to see some familiar faces.

That's because four of their own -- Maj. Sam Billotti, Bryan Glines, Sgt. Mark Price and Dave Sanders -- are entered as a team in the endurance event.

The JFK 50 Mile is America's oldest ultramarathon, and takes participants from Boonsboro to Williamsport along paved roads, the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal towpath.

Advertisement

The men plan to run together along the Appalachian Trail for about the first 15 miles of the race. But once they hit the towpath, it's every man for himself.

For Billotti, 45, running is a way to stay in shape. He's completed the JFK before and is ready to tackle it again with his fellow officers.

"To be with these guys going across the mountain is going to be a good time," Billotti said.

While Billotti has been a runner since high school, Price and Sanders only recently started running. Both served as U.S. Marines and wanted to run the Marine Corps Marathon, which they did in 2006.

Price, 40, said he has a son running cross country, and he wanted to train with him. His son, Scott, has run the JFK.

"It's a power thing in our house," Mark Price said.

Scott Price won't be running with his father this year, but he might be there to cheer for him, Mark Price said.

Sanders, 36, said he wants to challenge himself.

Sanders has run a half marathon (13.1 miles), a marathon (26.2 miles) and wanted to try the 50-miler, he said. He ran the Baltimore Marathon in October, and he ran 30 to 35 miles during his heaviest training weeks, he said.

The men have been training for the ultramarathon since July.

"It's good for everybody to be in physically good shape," Billotti said. "This causes all of us to work out a lot more."

Billotti's longest training run was 22 miles, and he runs between 35 and 40 miles in a good week and rides a bicycle on the days he doesn't run.

Glines, 29, has been running since 2006, when he joined the Special Response Team.

"I started running to keep in shape," he said.

Glines' and Sanders' only goal is to finish the race.

Price would like to finish in 10 hours, and said he has to beat 11 hours, 45 minutes, which was his son's time. Billotti said he would be happy with a time of 10 hours or 10 hours, 15 minutes.

The four represent the first team from the sheriff's department. Last year, a group of troopers and a retired trooper became the first team in Maryland State Police history to compete in the JFK 50 Mile.

The Billotti file

Name: Sam Billotti

Age: 45

Residence: Middletown, Md.

Occupation: Police officer

Number of JFK finishes: One

The JFK in one word: "Exhausting"

The Glines file

Name: Bryan Glines

Age: 29

Residence: Hagerstown

Occupation: Police officer

Number of JFK finishes: First attempt

The JFK in one word: "Challenging"

The Price file

Name: Mark Price

Age: 40

Residence: Fairplay

Occupation: Police officer

Number of JFK finishes: First attempt

The JFK in one word: "Challenging"

The Sanders file

Name: Dave Sanders

Age: 36

Residence: Clear Spring

Occupation: Police investigator

Number of JFK finishes: First attempt

The JFK in one word: "Accomplishment"

Coming Monday: See how the nine people profiled in this series fared in their attempts to complete the JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon.